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FCP and Additional Monitor
Hi All,
First of all – many thanks for the invaluable resources and informed discussion on Creative Cow. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve consulted this site in the midst of some post-production conundrum or another!
This is a fairly straight forward question, so I’ll get to it.
Currently using Final Cut Studio 2 on iMac 24” (aluminium early ’09 model). It’s pretty nice to work with and I’m getting good results. However, I’m considering setting up an additional LCD monitor with my iMac. But this is new territory for me, so I could do with some advice!
My tight budget would usually exclude me from getting an LCD monitor, but my folks’ have a Samsung LE19R71B (with DVI-D connection). Specs for the screen can be found here;
https://www.cdfreaks.com/hardware/product/57122-Samsung-LE19R71B.htmlIt has recently stopped working, but they’ve been quoted about £70 or so to get it fixed and it seems like a pretty simple fix. I could pay that and have the screen for my editing rig. I know I need a DVI-D adapter to take the signal from MiniDisplay port on my mac to screen, but it’s fairly simple.
What are your thoughts on this – is this worth my while? I mainly edit promos, corporate and event videos which usually get distributed online or by DVD.
This may seem like a stupid question – probably is – but one thing I’m wondering about, is could I set-up Final Cut Pro to display sequences I’m working on in full-screen on the LCD instead of just on the Canvas viewer whilst keeping the default window layout on my iMac so I continue working as normal? Perhaps someone who works with an editing setup that uses extra monitor could give me some advice on how best to utilise additional monitors whilst editing?
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11 Replies
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We actually have an editing rig set up that way, with the main viewer running as a full screen picture. The image on the Imac is still set as the original workspace with 2 viewers and so on.
-Matt Brushinski
“We’re not here for a long time, we’re here for a good time.” -
I think I’d get a real monitor. Not sure about where you are, but I can get a VIZIO 24″ 1080P at SAMSCLUB online for $259. I don’t think I’d spend anything fixing an outdated LCD monitor as small and low rez as the one you linked to.
Bret Williams
Web Design . Motion Graphics . Video Editing
http://www.bretwilliams.com -
Matthew,
Thanks for response.
This is exactly the kind of set-up I’d like to achieve. Sorry to ask – but what settings did you use (I’m assuming this has to be set within FCP somehow) to get a full-screen preview on the additional monitor?
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Bret,
I hear what you’re saying – it’s less than ideal but times are incredibly tough at the moment and even $259 is just out of the question right now.
My thought is that this could be better than nothing at least! I’ve been caught out a couple times with footage that looks fine on iMac screen, but when testing DVD copies I’ve found that there’s been interlacing, colour issues e.t.c. on a TV Monitor. This solution would, I hope, at least help me avoid this kind of thing again.
Anything has to be better than burning a DVD to test different cuts – right?
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[Adam White] “I’ve been caught out a couple times with footage that looks fine on iMac screen, but when testing DVD copies I’ve found that there’s been interlacing, colour issues e.t.c. on a TV Monitor. This solution would, I hope, at least help me avoid this kind of thing again. “
I have no idea how good that LCD monitor is that you’re looking at. I do know that lower cost LCD panels do a lousy job with interlaced footage period. So there’s no way to know whether you have an interlacing issue with your footage or it’s the monitor’s inability to properly display that interlaced footage.
Walter Biscardi, Jr.
Editor, Colorist, Director, Writer, Consultant, Author.
HD Post and Production
Biscardi Creative Media“Foul Water, Fiery Serpent” now in Post.
Creative Cow Forum Host:
Apple Final Cut Pro, Apple Motion, Apple Color, AJA Kona, Business & Marketing, Maxx Digital. -
[Adam White] “I’ve been caught out a couple times with footage that looks fine on iMac screen, but when testing DVD copies I’ve found that there’s been interlacing, colour issues e.t.c. on a TV Monitor. This solution would, I hope, at least help me avoid this kind of thing again. “
Adam,
If you’ve ever heard the term reference monitor, it refers to a calibrated monitor that is a known baseline by which all things can be judged, including color, luminance, black levels, interlacing, and what most people never realize, other monitors.
So, until you have a properly calibrated reference monitor that you can use as a known baseline that you can to use to calibrate your iMac screen, you will continue to encounter big surprises when comparing what you see on your iMac vs. what you see on your DVDs when played on broadcast monitors and TVs.
So, the solution is to beg, borrow, buy or steal a calibrated broadcast monitor, and, using color bars and possibly a Spyder or other calibration tool, use it to precisely calibrate your iMac monitor to get as close a match as possible. You will still be unable to accurately see potential interlace issues on the iMac screen, as computer monitors don’t properly display interlaced images, but at least color, luminance, and black levels will no longer be a big mystery.
Does this make sense???
David Roth Weiss
Director/Editor
David Weiss Productions, Inc.
Los AngelesPOST-PRODUCTION WITHOUT THE USUAL INSANITY ™
A forum host of Creative COW’s Apple Final Cut Pro, Business & Marketing, Indie Film & Documentary, and Film History & Appreciations forums.
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David,
Thanks for your enlightening post!
I’ve heard a bit about reference monitors, and saw a little bit about how they worked when the short film I produced was colour graded at a post-production house a few weeks back. Marvellous it was, too! I was seriously tempted to discreetly take it for myself, but general good manners do tend to inhibit one somewhat! 😉
I have tried to calibrate my iMac to be a little more representative of a standard PAL image, but to be frank I’ve no idea what I’m doing so eventually gave up and just reverted to default!
This is probably a topic for another thread altogether, so feel free to tell me where to stick this question, but are there some general, basic colour/gamma e.t.c. settings I should set my Mac to? I know about the whole 1.8/2.2 gamma issue – a bit at least – but otherwise I am embarrassingly ill informed.
Best,
Adam -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oj0JoFxoOyo
A Decklink or AJA card would be a better option than using a DV converter but you can not use either with the iMac. Premiere Pro can out put HD projects through the DV converter and I have heard the same is true with FCP. Your CC and speed changes should look much better on the NTSC monitor as opposed to the computer monitor.
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[arc nevada] “A Decklink or AJA card would be a better option than using a DV converter but you can not use either with the iMac.”
You can use an AJA IoHD but that’s well out of Adam’s price range I’m afraid.
Walter Biscardi, Jr.
Editor, Colorist, Director, Writer, Consultant, Author.
HD Post and Production
Biscardi Creative Media“Foul Water, Fiery Serpent” now in Post.
Creative Cow Forum Host:
Apple Final Cut Pro, Apple Motion, Apple Color, AJA Kona, Business & Marketing, Maxx Digital. -
Yes it does make sense.
Though how do you connect all this? The reference monitor to you Imac?
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